On Sunday, June 21, Carbondale’s Sunday Music in the Park concert series will kick off at 5pm in a bid to revitalize the long-running summer staple which had recently fallen on hard times. Music lovers are invited to set up blankets and chairs in Sopris Park for relaxed nights of community-building over the course of four diverse monthly performances.
Sunday Music in the Park is a decades-old Carbondale tradition intended to draw Valley residents together in a casual, non-commercial setting. However, after a disheartening turnout in recent years, it was decided that Sunday Music in the Park was in need of new energy, management and funding to get back on its feet and be restored to its original vision. Following a transition of program leadership, Western Mosaic Fund has become the series’ fiscal sponsor to help provide the financial backing the program needs to succeed.
“I want to give new life to things that are already good,” said Kat Hardy, who is now leading event production for Music in the Park. “I’m like, ‘What have these amazing people built here that I can help take to a bigger level for our community?’ I feel so grateful that I get the opportunity to do that.”
Hardy, who has led event production for Dandelion Day since 2023 and Potato Days since 2025, led the charge on giving Music in the Park the love (and funding) she feels it deserves.
A deep awareness and respect for the program’s intergenerational legacy informs Hardy’s direction. On June 4, Hardy interviewed the program’s founder and local music icon Amy Kimberly on KDNK to talk about the event’s evolution.
While music in Sopris Park has happened in various capacities for several decades, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that a Sunday series became possible. At the time, Carbondale Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Jackel secured $15,000 in funding to bring vibrancy to downtown Carbondale. Kimberly, who was then working at KDNK, caught wind of the funds and suggested they be used for free, public concerts. The rest was history, and Kimberly, as executive director of the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities (now called Carbondale Arts) managed the new Music in the Park series for roughly a decade.
For the past 14 years, the concert series has been managed by Steve’s Guitars, as well as a team of volunteers, and supported by the Town of Carbondale through a community grant program. However, the Town’s financial support dwindled last year to only $2,973 from roughly $8,000 on average in years previous. The drop in funding correlated with a lack of promotion, and audience turnout for the series slumped.
“Last year was sort of a tragedy,” said Hardy. “Hardly anyone was at Music at the Park, and I couldn’t figure out when it was and nobody knew, and I was just like, ‘This is such a missed opportunity. It needs some new life breathed into it.’”
In response, Hardy pitched a revival project to various Carbondale community members and donors and found overwhelming support. At the Carbondale Board of Trustees meeting on June 9, Hardy was successful in securing $10,000 from the Town to support the 2026 season and proposed further financial support of $20,000 for 2027. Future funding will be discussed at the conclusion of this season’s series.
Besides booking the musicians, Hardy is directing the newfound resources toward — perhaps most important — ensuring people know that the Sunday concert series is back in action. A new poster designed by local tattoo artist Brett Haynes not only provides residents with all the necessary details, but speaks to the concert series’ themes of intergenerational musical connection, respect for one’s legacy and respect for one’s surroundings. Hardy also hopes that, in keeping with the community-building theme, word-of-mouth will attract attendees once more to Sopris Park.
While Glenwood Springs, Basalt and Snowmass already have popular summer concert series, Hardy hopes that Carbondale’s Music in the Park will be a comparatively more grounded, community-oriented experience. To that end, vendors will not be present at the performances, and attendees are encouraged to bring picnic baskets or grab a bite from a nearby Carbondale business.
KDNK will also be livestreaming the concerts as they occur. The concerts will be held on June 21, July 19, August 23, and September 13 from 5 to 8pm. Attendees are reminded to follow regular park rules: no glass, no dogs, no substances.